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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112766">something comforting</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitschvanitas/pseuds/kitschvanitas'>kitschvanitas</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gen, Kidfic, M/M, Mild Angst, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, canon has been dismantled and mined for parts, reference to ozai being an absolute trash parent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:07:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitschvanitas/pseuds/kitschvanitas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko and Sokka are raising Izumi.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>369</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>something comforting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i don't know, guys, i was reading Rise of Kyoshi and that little bit about the firebending test for newborns really grabbed hold of me, and i had a bunch of big feelings about Zuko? and that somehow cross-pollinated with a cute Tumblr post i remember from half a billion years ago about teaching little kids to say "behold" instead of "look," and i'm a bit blocked on my current WIP, so now we have............. this mess. </p><p>i have never written for ATLA before, but i love it here! the Zukka renaissance is also extremely excellent.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sokka didn't know about the whole “baby firebender test” thing. It makes a certain amount of sense, now that he considers it. Nobody wants a cranky infant accidentally burning down a city block, right?

</p><p>Zuko's reaction... makes far less sense. He goes tense, his whole body drawn tight as a bowstring, and he changes the subject to something-- anything else. 

</p><p>When it comes up in relation to <i>their</i> baby, the one whose arrival is so imminent that Sokka feels like he's going to fall over if he thinks about it too hard, Zuko says simply, “I don't want to know.” His tone is flat, the kind of monotone that a casual observer would mistake for emotionless. 

</p><p>But Sokka knows the kinds of things that can lurk in the depths of those still waters.

</p><p>Iroh confirms it, over a late evening cup of tea, his voice heavy with regret.

</p><p>“His father was going to throw him away. He nearly did. And he held that over Zuko for the rest of his life.”

</p><p>Sokka stares into his tea cup, and he considers, not for the first time, dropping by to have a deeply unfriendly chat with the former Fire Lord.

</p><p>Iroh sighs, scattering some crumbs from his pocket for the turtle ducks. “He worries. I don't need to tell you that, of course, but...” His voice trails off as he finishes his cup.

</p><p>“Yeah. I'll... I'll talk to him, I guess.”

</p>
<hr/><p>Sokka has a whole plan going into this conversation. It has stages, using a ridiculous baby name suggestion from Toph as an opener for the harder conversation. 

</p><p>But when he arrives in the room, Zuko is sitting on their balcony, still dressed in his elaborate robes, staring down past the private garden and into something Sokka can't see. He looks lost. 

</p><p>The plan evaporates, and Sokka slides into place behind him. His hands go up to Zuko's topknot and slides the hairpiece free. Then he runs his fingers through Zuko's hair, carefully working through the strands and undoing any tangles he can find. 

</p><p>“I can't be him. I won't,” Zuko says, his voice strangely hoarse. 

</p><p>Sokka wants to say so many things. 

</p><p><i>Of course.</i>

</p><p><i>How could you? </i>

</p><p><i>I know.</i>

</p><p>Instead, he carefully sweeps Zuko's hair to one side and buries his face in his neck, pressing a gentle kiss there. He stays until he feels the tension drain out of Zuko's body as he finally relaxes against Sokka.

</p>
<hr/><p>Izumi is two days old when Zuko finally agrees to the test. Aang and Iroh administer it, and Zuko resolutely turns his back to that room, focusing on Sokka instead. 

</p><p>“Your dad really sent a whole crate of parkas for her.”

</p><p>“He wants her to be warm!”

</p><p>Zuko lets out a tired laugh, holding up one of them and tracing a finger along the elaborate embroidery. “I guess she will be. For the next five or so years.”

</p><p>“Chief Grandpa believes in preparation, what can I say?” 

</p><p>The door creaks open, but Zuko doesn't turn around. It's Sokka who meets Aang's eyes, and then Iroh’s. Both of them shake their heads quickly, and Sokka just nods. Then he nudges Zuko. “Look who's back.”

</p><p>Izumi is starting to fuss in Iroh's arms, making sleepy, disgruntled noises in the swaddle. But she settles when Iroh hands her to Sokka, blinking up at him with wide, golden brown eyes. 

</p><p>He's always thought newborns were kind of weird looking, a little squished and underripe. And to be honest, that's still his general opinion.

</p><p>But this one? This one is perfect. 

</p><p>Zuko reaches over and wraps one of her wispy black curls around his fingertip. “Hi, Izumi,” he whispers. Her eyes close, and he leans down, touching their foreheads together. 

</p><p>The gesture feels like a promise, one too powerful for words. 

</p>
<hr/><p>A lot of people ask about the princess. 

</p><p>Some of them mean quite well. Ty Lee is always eager for more details about what she's up to, and even Mai expresses a certain degree of cool fascination about “the little creature.” Piandao brings her a wooden practice sword when she's still barely toddling around, and he wants to know how she's doing with it (Sokka doesn't have the heart to tell her that she mostly uses it to dig around in the garden at present, since she's two years old).

</p><p>Others... don't mean as well. They're typically asked by high ranking officials, or some member of the Fire Nation nobility, their tone all falsely warm politeness. 

</p><p><i>How is our Crown Princess?</i>

</p><p><i>And how is the little dear?</i>

</p><p><i>Do tell us about Princess Izumi!</i>

</p><p>That would all be very well, if they were genuinely asking, or even if they were just making small talk. After all, Sokka has about a hundred adorable Izumi anecdotes ready to go at any conversational gap. 

</p><p>But that's not what they really want to know. They're casting around, trying to ask without asking if she's shown any capacity for firebending yet. Sokka doesn't know whether it's the question itself or the roundabout way of asking that bothers him more.

</p><p>His response is a standard “<i>she’s doing great, thanks</i>” with no anecdote to follow (he's decided that these stuffy old bastards don't <i>deserve</i> to hear about tiny Izumi stubbornly toddling around in his snow boots, thank you very much). 

</p><p>Zuko's response is... different. 

</p><p>He lights up every chance he gets to talk about Izumi, and <i>Tui and La</i>, can he talk about her. He talks about her drawings, her dances, her songs, the way she named all the turtle ducklings and knows to hold them gently. He talks about the way she loves to be read to, anything from Aang's handbound book of Airbender folk tales to Uncle Bato’s fishing guides. He talks about the way her laugh could rattle the sky itself, and the way she loves to make them laugh. 

</p><p>At first, Sokka thinks it's a strategy-- killing them with kindness, or something like that. Maybe he's flooding them with information they regard as irrelevant to train them not to ask something that really isn't any of their business. It's the kind of thing Sokka might do, if he had the patience. 

</p><p>But Sokka hears pride and love in every word Zuko speaks about their daughter, no matter who he’s speaking to. It’s the same love and pride that Sokka feels, burning bright and warm and welcoming as the home fire. 

</p>
<hr/><p>Sokka isn't sure where the whole “behold” thing came from, but he's blaming Zuko. After all, the guy had Izumi bundled up on his chest watching plays from the time she was a month old. It's statistically improbable that she wouldn't end up with a certain flair for the dramatic.

</p><p>“Daddy, behold!”

</p><p>He looks up from the stack of papers and letters he's been steadily working through all day, smiling warmly at the little girl. “What's up, Izumi?” 

</p><p>She nods fiercely, so much that it nearly wobbles her wispy topknot out of existence. Normally, “behold” means Sokka is about to be treated to an impromptu dance performance, or a somersault learned from Ty Lee, or a twirl of her little wooden practice sword. 

</p><p>Today, Izumi stomps her feet and puts them far apart in horse stance (well taught by Suki). She brings her palms together and thrusts them apart. Before Sokka can fully register what's happening, there's a faint flicker of warm, orange-red light.

</p><p>Now she is holding in her tiny, cupped hands a little ball of flame.

</p><p>Sokka drops the pen he's holding and smears a letter from the Earth Kingdom finance minister with ink beyond redemption. 

</p><p>“Holy shit.”

</p><p>The flame goes out, and Izumi points a finger at him. “You're not supposed to say that!”

</p><p>“I know, I know, I just... baby, did you show your dad?”

</p><p>She shakes her head. “No, he's in the big room. Suki said he'll be there all day.”

</p><p>Sokka nods, setting the papers aside and running up to Izumi. He stoops down to her level, quickly fixing her hair. It's an easy, affectionate gesture, the kind of care that comes to Sokka as easy as breathing these days. “Don’t worry. I'll break him out. Go to the turtle duck pond, okay?”

</p><p>She nods solemnly, but breaks into a bright grin as Sokka kisses her forehead. “Okay.” She scampers off, the sound of her footsteps against the stone floor fading. His heartbeat keeps time with them anyway.

</p><p>Ty Lee waves Sokka into the council room without much more than a friendly nod of greeting. He pauses at the doorway, waiting to catch Zuko's eye. His husband is sitting at the head of the long table, surrounded by bickering counselors. His face goes from stern concentration to gentle fondness when he spots Sokka, a smile curving on his lips. He tilts his head curiously, silently asking a question. 

</p><p>Sokka mouths <i>Izumi</i> and lifts his hands in the sign for “turtle duck.” Zuko nods and rises from the table, and the heated conversation slowly dies down. “Council, let's take a brief recess.”

</p><p>“But-- we're in the middle of discussion--”

</p><p>“As we have been for two hours.” Zuko's tone is calm, but there is steel underneath, the kind that years at this table has forged. He sweeps out of the room, a portrait of regal power as he leaves the meeting. 

</p><p>He breaks into a smile when Sokka takes his place at his left side, tilting his head to be kissed. Sokka obliges him, because <i>how could he not?</i>

</p><p>“Thank you. If I had to sit through another hour of this, I think I'd abdicate.”

</p><p>“Don't thank me, thank the Minister of Fun. This was all her plan.”

</p><p>Zuko smiles, and one of his hands finds its way to Sokka's. “And what is Izumi up to?”

</p><p>“It's a surprise.”

</p><p>Zuko hums thoughtfully as they turn the corner into the garden. Izumi is kneeling by the pond, cooing at the turtle ducks. She straightens up as soon as she sees her fathers, bounding towards them and pulling them both into a hug. 

</p><p>“Dad, guess what?”

</p><p>Zuko runs a hand over her long black hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. “Oh, you know I'm terrible at guessing games, Izumi.”

</p><p>Izumi fake scowls up at him, but the expression quickly dissolves into a giggle. Then she steps back, stomping her feet like she did before. Sokka nudges at Zuko's shoulder gently with his own. “You, uh. You might wanna step back.”

</p><p>Zuko’s eyebrow arches up, but he does so. Izumi’s brow is furrowed with concentration, and she once again produces a little ball of flame, held in her cupped hands.

</p><p>Sokka glanced over to Zuko. His husband is staring transfixed at their daughter, and there's something so hard to read in his expression. And Sokka's had years and years of practice at this point.

</p><p>Then Zuko smiles, sitting down on the ground in front of her. He conjures a little bit of flame himself, mirroring her gesture. “I can tell you've been working really hard, Izumi.”

</p><p>She beams at him, and the flame flickers, then goes out. She lets out a little frustrated grumble at that, but Zuko extinguishes his own flame, then covers her hands with his own. They're still so small in his, and for some reason, that brings a lump into Sokka's throat. 

</p><p>Izumi climbs into Zuko's lap, throwing her little arms around his neck. Sokka settles down beside them, wrapping an arm around Zuko's waist. 

</p><p>“How long do you think I have before the council comes looking for me,” Zuko murmurs, his eyes still closed.

</p><p>Sokka strokes his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm. I'd say we've got... at least half an hour?”

</p><p>Zuko sighs and clutches their daughter a little tighter, lying down on the grass with her on his chest. She's already starting to doze off in the summer heat, even though she would fiercely deny it if either of them pointed it out. Sokka follows them down and takes Zuko’s hand, squeezing it gently. 

</p><p>“Don't worry about it, sweetheart. We’ve got all the time in the world.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hope you enjoyed this mess! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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